Appliance for use in repairing automobile bodies



Jan. 4, 1949. w, GEDDES 2,458,370

APPLIANCE FOR UsE IN REPAIRING AUTOMOBILE BODIES Filed Aug. 3, 1944 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 APPLIANCE FOR USE IN REPAIRING AUTOMOBILE BODIES John W. Geddes, Boston, Mass, assignor to H. K. Porter, 1110., Everett, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 3, 1944, Serial No. 547,917

3 Claims.

This invention relates to appliances of the type shown in the Ferguson Patent 2,275,894, the construction herein disclosed being in a sense an improvement upon that disclosed in that patent, and the object is to provide an appliance adaptable for positioning and securing various automobile parts for facilitating the repairing and refinishing operations which are performed on them when they have been dented, bent or crushed and one which will be highly versatile in the scope of its application.

My invention will be well understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the appliance; and

Fig. 2 is a section on a larger scale through a frame and shaft-supporting element mounted thereon.

Referring to Fig. 1 of thedrawing, the appliance there shown comprises a base ill of rigid construction so that it will resist the strains which are caused by the use of jacks and similar devices in the operation of bending automobile body parts to straighten the same. Across one end of the base is a standard, here shown as like that in the Ferguson patent referred to and comprising corner posts 26 connected by an elevated cross-bar 28 to which may be adjustably secured a rigid beam 32 by means of bolts 34, the beam carrying adjustably mounted thereon C clamps 36, all as described in the aforesaid Ferguson patent.

Spaced a substantial distance from this standard so as to leave between a substantial unobstructed working space is a pair of parallel frames 31 of general inverted U shape and which may be more specifically of inverted U shape in that the upper transverse members thereof desirably merge into the uprights along easy curves of relatively large radius. These frames are disposed parallel to one another with their corresponding upright portions in alignment along either side of the base I0 and preferably the uprights 25 lie in the planes of the frames 31. As is seen from Fig. 2, these frames may conveniently be formed of two channel sections with their flanges facing one another to provide a slot 39 throughout the periphery of each frame substantially continu ous and adapted to pass the clamping bolts 55 hereinafter referred to. This construction and arrangement of frames in connection with a transverse standard as shown are disclosed in a copending application of Henry W. Porter and 2 William H. Ferguson, Serial No. 547,944, filed August 3, 1944.

As in the Ferguson patent above referred to, a body part may be held by the clamps 36 on the beam 32 and also be engaged at a point remote thereon by a suitable utensil such as the adjustable leg 56, as shown in said patent and herein illustrated, the leg being adjustable in length by means not shown in detail herein but received within the housing 58 and being adapted to carry, for instance, a C clamp 60 at its upper end. My invention provides more particularly for means permitting the easy positioning of such a utensil at a wide variety of operating positions. As in the Ferguson patent, the leg may be engaged in the laterally presented coupling 54 of a sleeve 52 adapted to slide or swing on a transverse shaft 50. To support the shaft I utilize supporting members, which in the form illustrated resemble journal bearings, each comprising a receiving eye 5! formed on a base 53 adapted to seat on the outer periphery of a frame 3'! to position the plane of the eye perpendicular to the outer surface of the frame immediately beneath the same. These shaft-supporting elements may be clamped in position by suitable means, here illustrated as bolts 55 extending upwardly through the slots 39 and engaging the bases 53. It will be noted that by this construction the plane of the eyes 5! may be disposed at any desired angle to the plane of the frame 31 as a whole, that is, the axis of the eye may either be at right angles to the plane of the frame or diagonal thereto.

The shaft-receiving elements may each be independently adjusted on its frame and the pair may be opposite each other or out of line as illustrated in Fig. 1 and therefore the shaft 50 which carries the adjustable leg or similar utensil may be located at any point throughout the periphery of the frames at a varying elevation and at a variable distance from the end standard at the nearer end of the base in, viewing Fig. 1, and. either in a horizontal position or at askew as may most satisfactorily meet the variable conditions of use.

In the drawing the eyes 5| are shown as completely circular in form and unbroken, which is a simple and sturdy construction which, however, requires the shaft 50, if not permanently mounted therein, to be inserted therein endwise, for instance, by a buttonholing action, sliding it in from the nearer side of one and then back into the other at its inner side. By removal of the bolts 55 the shaft-receiving members together with the shaft may be entirely removed, if desired, or the to the bottom of the slots 39 in the further uprights of the frames 31, viewing Fig. 1.

I am aware that the invention may be em-' bodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, as is in fact clear in several matters from the description itself. Reference is to be had to the appended claims to indicate those principles of the invention exemplified by the particular embodiment described and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I claim: 1. A device for positioning automobile parts while they are being worked upon comprising a base adapted to support strain, a standard extending along one end thereof providing for the support of clamping devices, a pair of parallel frames of general inverted U shape remote from said standard and disposed in planes transverse to said end, a pair of shaft-supporting elements having shaft-receiving eyes and parts which seat a on the periphery of the frames to dispose the 1 planes of the eyes perpendicular thereto, means coupling for securing an extensible leg or like utensil.

2. A device for positioning automobile parts while they are being worked upon comprising a base adapted to support strain, a standard extending along one end thereof providing for the support of clamping devices, a pair of parallel 1 frames of general invertedU shape remote from said standard and disposed in planes transverse to said end, 'a pair of shaft-supporting elements having shaft-receiving eyes and parts which seat on the periphery of the frames to dispose the planes of the eyes perpendicular thereto, meansfor clamping the elements to the frames at selected positions throughout at leasta major por tion of the perimeter thereof, the clamping means providing for variation of the angle between the axis .of the eye and the plane of the frame, a

cross-shaft received in the eyes and a sleeve slidably mounted on the shaft and having a laterally presented coupling for securing an extensible leg or like utensil.

3. A device for positioning automobile parts while they are being worked upon comprising a base adapted to support strain, a standard extending along one end thereof providing for the support of clamping devices, a pair of parallel frames of general inverted U shape remote from said standard and disposed in planes transverse to said end, said frames being slotted between their sides throughout at least a major portion of the perimeter thereof to pass the stems hereinafter referred to, a pair of shaft-supporting elements comprising shaft-receiving eyes and depending clamping stems whereby they may be secured in desired position along the frames, a cross-shaft received in the eyes and a sleeve slidably mounted on the shaft and having a laterally presented coupling for securing an extensible leg or like utensil.

J. W. GEDDES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,275,894 Ferguson Mar. 10, 1942' FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland June 28, 1920 Number 

